The City of Pensacola and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) invite the public to attend the Grand Opening Ceremony for the General Daniel "Chappie" James Museum and Flight Academy on Thursday, June 7, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.
The city-owned site is the historic home of America’s first African-American four-star General (USAF), Daniel “Chappie” James Jr., and was donated to the city by the James family. The residence, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed in 1909 by Chappie James’ father; Daniel James Sr. and is located at 1608 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Preservation and adaptive reuse of the property was identified as a priority redevelopment project by the Eastside Neighborhood Association and the Eastside CRA Plan.
The CRA has restored the original 900 square foot James family home to house a museum dedicated to the life and career of Chappie James, which will be operated by the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Museum Board. A new 1,500 sq. foot addition is now the home of the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Flight Academy, which has been offering young people of Pensacola opportunities to train to be aviators for over two decades through their free one-week summer camps. The Flight Academy's classrooms, which are to be equipped with computers and flight simulator programs, will see it's first summer camp at the new location take place June 11-16, 2018.
For more information about the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Flight Academy visit www.gdcjflightacademy.org.
For more information on the museum and future offerings, visit the "Chappie James Museum of Pensacola" Facebook page.